No Official Word on Kurdish Freight Ban

A spokesman for Erbil International Airport has told Iraq Business News that there has been no official instruction from Baghdad regarding the blocking of freight flights to airports in Iraqi Kurdistan, but added that there have been emails to airlines confirming that this is the case.

“The irony is,” said Andrew Jones, “that around 50 percent of cargo coming into Erbil is destined for Baghdad and points South.”

As we reported yesterday, Lloyd’s Loading List said that Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has informed airlines that all freight flights to Erbil and Sulaimanya have been cancelled until further notice.